Recipe Find: Shrimp Remoulade by John Besh

Published 12:00 am, Wednesday, April 28, 2010

AUSTIN — When food writers from different parts of Texas go on and on about how good a recipe is — and go back for a second taste — you know the recipe is a keeper.

Such was the case last weekend when guests at the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival attended a reception at Parkside restaurant here for “Iron Chef America” chef John Besh, who's bringing a new restaurant to San Antonio. (See A Conversation With on Page 7J for more on Besh.)

Parkside chef Shawn Cirkiel prepared several recipes from Besh's cookbook, “My New Orleans: The Cookbook,” and while they were all good, it was the Shrimp Remoulade that had guests talking.

One food writer said the plump shrimp tasted like they had just come out of the water that day. Cooking the shrimp in heavily salted water to which fresh lemon juice, cayenne, garlic, bay leaves and more had much to do with that. Then, there was the remoulade sauce made of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard were added, and a bracing amount of horseradish, among other items.

In his book, Besh includes the shrimp recipe in a chapter titled Reveillon (meaning “Awakening”), which traditionally was an elaborate Creole feast served on Christmas Eve. For Reveillon, Besh says that he depends on the recipes of his childhood.

For the reception, Cirkiel served the sauced shrimp with toothpicks for easy eating. I also think it would be fabulous served atop greens alternating with slices of perfectly ripe avocado and paper-thin slices of red onion.

In his book, Besh says, “I like to boil the shrimp ahead, even a day or two, so I'm not peeling shrimp just before my guests arrive. Then, an hour or two before serving, I'll peel and marinate them with the remoulade sauce.”

If you are looking for a lost recipe or have a favorite recipe to share, let us hear from you. E-mail kharam@express-news.net or write Recipe Find, San Antonio Express-News, P.O. Box 2171, San Antonio, TX 78297-2171. Recipe requests will be answered in this column only.